July, 2007

Academic Leader - July, 2007 - Full Issue PDF
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‘It Seems Like Only Yesterday…’: The Challenges Faced by Recently Appointed Administrators
By Jeffrey L. Buller, PhD
Many institutions have now developed comprehensive faculty first-year experience programs, recognizing how ineffective orientation for new instructors can be when it lasts for only a day or two and is scheduled right before classes begin. On the other hand, recently appointed administrators are all too often left to fend for themselves, having to learn “on the job” many of the skills they will need to know in order to succeed in their new positions. Is there any way to shorten this “learning curve” for new administrators? What are the special challenges that newly appointed administrators will face, and what kind of advice and considerations should these administrators be given?

The Role of Higher Education in Promoting a Culture of Peace
By Scott R. Meyer, PhD and Leo R. Sandy, EdD
Historically, many universities have not realized their responsibility to contribute to world peace. Perhaps this is due in part to their being part of the cultural zeitgeist and having financial dependence on public- and private-sector bodies that tend to discourage the role of a university as a cultural change agent. According to Pettigrew1(World Conference, 1998), “In the past, the universities have not been immune from involvement in the culture of conflict.

The Balancing Act: Managing the Chair’s Role as Teacher, Scholar, and Administrator
By K. Denise Bane, PhD
I have just completed my first year as division chair. To say that it was a “learning experience” filled with “teaching moments” is putting it mildly. I had no idea what I was getting myself into! In addition to the normal duties of chair, my division was moving to a new building, the college was working on its accreditation self-study, we began collective bargaining, we added two new members to the division, we conducted a search for an additional new member, and I taught a fully online course for the first time.

Institutionalizing Undergraduate Research
Before 2000, undergraduate research at Bridgewater State College occurred in an ad hoc manner across campus. After a faculty panel discussion at the end of that academic year, several administrators in attendance decided to make undergraduate research a formal part of the learning experience across the college.

Parting Shot: Rushaholics and Infomaniacs: Discover Your Inner Snail
By Thomas R. McDaniel, PhD
In an earlier column for Academic Leader, I lamented the institutional maladies of “Assessmania” and “Bureaupathology.” In this present “Parting Shot” column, I want to move from the institutional maladies to a personal one for so many academic leaders. While I am far from a computer guru, I know the great value of such technology and have become addicted to email.